The final week of October has arrived, which means it’s time to kick Halloween festivities into overdrive. We’re dedicating the final days of October to Halloween’s favorite pastime: inducing scares. “It’s Halloween. I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare,” Sheriff Brackett says in John Carpenter’s Halloween. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to terrifying horror […]
The final week of October has arrived, which means it’s time to kick Halloween festivities into overdrive. We’re dedicating the final days of October to Halloween’s favorite pastime: inducing scares. “It’s Halloween. I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare,” Sheriff Brackett says in John Carpenter’s Halloween. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to terrifying horror movies that bring the perfect Halloween scares and atmosphere. Many of which happen to be set on or around the best holiday of the year. These titles employ every fear tactic and technique in the arsenal to induce Halloween frights, from classic ghost stories to visceral suburban nightmares.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe – AMC+, Kanopy, Showtime, Shudder, Tubi
The Last Voyage of the Demeter director André Øvredal goes full throttle for the scares in this quiet little chiller that sees a father and son coroner team stumped over the bizarre mysteries contained within the body of an unidentified young woman. Well-executed scares, clever twists, and earnest performances by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch give this supernatural haunter serious heft. While the narrative bides its time unveiling the truth behind Jane Doe’s battered body, it’s heavily steeped in witchcraft. In other words, The Autopsy of Jane Doe presents a new take on the subgenre. More importantly, it’s seriously scary.
The Changeling – Fandango at Home, Midnight Pulp, NightFlight+, Pluto TV, Roku Channel, Screambox
George C. Scott stars in this seminal haunted classic as a music professor attempting to start fresh after his wife and child’s death. He relocates to Seattle and moves into a historic Victorian mansion with plans to work on his music, but he experiences strange phenomena from the moment he arrives. The more the paranormal activity increases, the more he’s drawn into a decades-long mystery involving a child. The Changeling is a quiet chiller grounded by a fantastic lead performance and an intriguing murder mystery. Mostly, though, it’s full of dread and creepy moments – no other horror movie will make you afraid of bouncing balls quite like this one.
Ghostwatch – AMC+, Shudder
The initial airing of this made-for-TV movie stirred up controversy for network BBC, as the special Halloween event had viewers convinced that what they’d witnessed was real. It plays like a live TV special with a camera crew on-site attempting to investigate the truth behind the most haunted house in the country, one that borrows heavily from the Enfield Poltergeist. Neither they nor the viewer were prepared for the scares that would ensue—even the subtle ones. Pay close attention to every frame; Pipes hides in plain sight. Subtle chills build to a cacophony of terror. Don’t skip this one, as it’s a streaming rarity.
Sinister – Disney+, Hulu, MovieSphers+, Roku Channel, Tubi
True crime author Ellison Oswalt has uprooted his family and moved them into a home where a family was previously murdered, unbeknownst to them. He’s researching the murder for his new book, hoping the research will lead him to the whereabouts of the murdered family’s missing 10-year-old girl. When he finds a box of Super 8 home movies in the attic, he discovers the murder might be the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s. Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill’s feature consistently ranks high among the scariest horror movies, and it’s not hard to see why. Eerie atmosphere, iconic jump scares, and a memorable boogeyman all make for a noteworthy genre movie.
Terrified – AMC+, Hoopla, Shudder
The cinematic equivalent of enjoying a haunted attraction, Demián Rugna’s feature is an onslaught of terror from beginning to end. Plot-wise, there’s not much to it, nor is there a lot of explanation for those who prefer answers. However, that doesn’t stop a cop on the cusp of retirement and a slew of paranormal experts from trying to get to the bottom of a series of bizarre activities plaguing a Buenos Aires neighborhood. With creative and innovative scares aplenty, Terrified is the type of horror film that lives up to its name; it’s freaking petrifying. Make it a Rugna double feature with visceral possession shocker When Evil Lurks, also streaming on Shudder.
